Daily dose

My dad told me a story he had read or heard one time. I thought it was really cool, although I have no idea where it is from.

A lady had a very ugly clock. You could ask any of her friends about it- they had all noticed it and would tell you that it was such an eyesore alongside the pretty framed pictures and shelved knick knacks surrounding it. One of these friends decided one day to ask her about this ugly clock. The lady began to tell of its origin, explaining that it was made specially for her by her dear grandparents. They were poor people, and wanted to give her a special gift for her wedding. They couldn't afford to buy anything, so they did what they could with what they had. Her grandfather carved the clock out of wood and made the inner-workings. Once he had finished, her grandmother painted flowers on the front- she wasn't a very good painter, and the flowers didn't turn out very well, but it was a special gift all the same. The lady then explained that the clock was, of course, one that had to be wound by hand each day. She took the clock off the wall and showed her friend the most important part. Right above the knob that winds the clock were two engraved words: Forgive him.

This is such a great story. I don't know if it's true, or even based on something true, but I know I would love to have something like that. I don't think I would have the patience for a clock like that, especially in this day and age, but I think if "Forgive him" were written on something I see daily it would be a great reminder! Maybe it could be written on my bottles of penicillin...that's something I will see daily for the rest of my life! (If you haven't heard about that long story, feel free to ask). Anyhow, I just thought I would share.

In or out of the storm...

One good thing about working at Mahoney is that I always get treated to a colorful sunset on my way home :)

Thursday was especially beautiful.

When I see things like this, when I'm in a good mood, or when things are going smoothly, it is really easy to praise God. Not a problem. 

But there are several places in the Bible that tell us that we should praise Him all the time.

These two verses, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, both are examples of this call to praise constantly.

I will extol the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

Psalm 34:1

Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

I know that I should have a heart of praise continually. I also know that I don't have that heart of praise often when times aren't going so well. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, because it's only human nature. But we should strive to praise always, good times and bad.

The only thing is that when I am full of praise during a time where all is well, I feel guilty. I often don't rejoice to the fullest because I am thinking "I should be like this all the time, but I'm not..." I know God only loves me and is infinitely happy when I do praise Him, and does not blame me for not praising when I don't. He only loves. He loves. 

And knowing this, there is yet another reason to praise.

Too tired to think of a title that ties everything together.

Alrighty. 


There have been so many things in my head lately, but every time I try to write them out my hands freeze over the keyboard, and all the thoughts seem to hide. I think the key to fixing that problem is to just...start typing. And that's what I'm doing. So bear with me if what you are reading seems sort of unorganized, spontaneous. It's getting too late to really edit much and I just want to post something because it makes me feel accomplished. And boy, do I need something encouraging after today at work! (It was slow, and I feel awkward around my co-workers, and it was just a rough day). 


One thing I've been glad for lately is God's constancy. I don't really think about that much. I guess when everything is smooth sailing and nothing in life is out of order, everything seems constant. But when turbulence hits, that's when this unfailing unchangeableness is so noticeable. With my ever-changing emotions and thoughts, with my periods of growing up and even the times I think I'm grown up when I'm actually far from it, God is there. He's the same. He doesn't change his mind or adjust His truth or go back on His word. It remains, always. And in my world of uncertainty, especially at this time in my life, that is exactly what I need.


Another God note. The one you just read is really a thought, I suppose, where this next one is a moment. (I'm trying again to go with the theme of this blog...). So today my grandma, my sister, and my cousin Emily started our Bible study. I AM SO EXCITED! It's another Beth Moore study, called The Beloved Disciple. We watched the introductory video (it was made in 1998 or so, so Bethy's hair is a little more poofy than it is nowadays) and Beth told us a story about a time in her life when she asked God to delight her. She was hiking in the mountains by herself and asked God to delight her with something...anything. She didn't know what, but she knew God wouldn't disappoint (God is so romantic!). Anyway, she walked for a few miles and didn't see anything spectacular, so she assumed that she should keep walking and her delight would be up ahead. Something urged her to turn around, though, and being a little disappointed, she finally did. She didn't have to go very far until she saw a baby bear! She was thrilled, and thanked God for her delight while she quickly fumbled for her camera and then started running- she knew that where there was baby bear, there was also mama! 


That story encouraged me so much. I was thinking about how cool it would be to experience something like that, to delight in God and His little surprises for us. I got home from going bowling tonight after dark and as soon as I stepped out of my car I felt the stillness of the night air and could hear the frogs and bugs chiming in together. The quick thought of "It's perfect for a midnight walk!" jumped into my mind, but I didn't think any further than that because I thought my mom wouldn't get off of work until way late into the night, like usual. (We've taken a late night walk before and it was incredible. I would never do it by myself, though.) I got inside and turned on my computer to type this post, when I heard the door unlock and open! It was not even midnight and my mom was home! I instantly knew this was my delight. I ran- quietly- to the kitchen and asked if she was up for a walk, and of course, she was. It was so wonderful to take that walk....and even more wonderful to experience a delight from the Author of Romance!


Is what you've read an unorganized mess? I hope not. I'm too tired to fix much tonight!


I had a thought today. (This is definitely NOT a God note). :)
When you are in a very fancy place, with a very fancy bathroom, no matter how neat and tidy and polished and furnished it is, it is still a bathroom. Even the most elegant bathrooms stink horribly at times! I know, I'm weird. But it's true, and it's kind of funny to think about!


I don't like to post without adding a picture. I believe that in order to capture someone's interest, you have to catch their eye. Who wants to read something that is all words? Not me. Not you, I'm pretty sure. Pictures always help. So here's my picture:

This is what summer is all about. 

A Harvest, a Cuisine, and a Hand Print

Today was a great day. Today was jam-packed with fun stuff- I still had to work for 6 hours, but surprisingly enough, that was part of the fun!


I worked at the craft center today at Mahoney State Park. I actually prefer it to the pool, because there isn't the meaningless high school drama from co-workers. No, it's just me, myself, and I. And the customers. And today...my mom! My mom came out and ate lunch with me and then made a craft. She stamped a piece of leather to make a key chain for one of the sets of keys at her work. It turned out really cool! It was also a quiet day, since it was a week day. That made it even better because I could talk to my mom while I was there.


After that, I went to the Dairy Cone to get ice cream with my mom and Melo. I thought the Dairy Cone was possibly not going to open this summer, since it didn't seem to have an owner. But thankfully it is! Summer wouldn't be right in Ashland without getting ice cream and cheese balls at the Dairy Cone.


When we finished our ice cream, Melo and I walked toward home, but not without our discs! When we got to the disc golf course, we discovered that the course had been expanded, meaning there are now 18 holes! So very fun =] 


If you are still reading this you are probably wondering how my title ties into anything at all. Wellllllllllll...while we were disc golfing, we found several mulberry trees full of berries! We were both so pumped! After dinner we went back and harvested a whole container full of them. They will be so delicious- my favorite way to eat them is in a bowl with a little melted ice cream. 

Speaking of dinner...we had a fantastic one! My dad has recently made a new friend, Von. His actual name is something really long and hard to pronounce. Given that clue, you are probably guessing that he is from somewhere foreign...and you are right. He is from Laos, which is very near Thailand, which is the type of food he treated us with tonight. He made us something simple this time, since he couldn't bring very much food with him on his motorcycle. :) We had steamed rice and some of the best chicken I have ever had! At one point in time he owned a Thai restaurant, but now that he's getting older he doesn't cook for others much. I think he really enjoyed sharing it with us, and I know we certainly enjoyed eating it! Next time, he's going to teach us to make spring rolls...I am so pumped. (Plus he's the cutest guy ever! He reminds me of my Thai art teacher I had last spring...I still randomly imitate his accent because I just love it.)


It was such a good day. But now, as I sit typing in my dark kitchen (everyone else is asleep), I have time to actually sit and think. In a book I've been reading, there was a hand print challenge. I've been thinking about that for a few days now, and it's time I did something instead of just contemplating it. What this hand print thing is is this: 


You trace your hand. Like you are going to make a hand turkey, but without feathers and all of that. Then you think about the five general aspects of life: social, intellectual, physical, spiritual, and emotional. Starting with the thumb as your main aspect, you write them on your fingers in order from the one you spend the most time on, down to the one that you spend the least time on. Your attention will go to the pinky- whatever is written on your pinky is what you need to work on, since it gets thought about the least. I can tell you that 'spiritual' is written on my pinky. Looking back over my day, did I mention anything spiritual? I'm pretty sure you can fit everything I did into one of the other four categories, but it's a little difficult to find something spiritual. My hand print is going up on my wall, near my dresser/mirror, where I will see it every day. And oh yeah. Once you concentrate all your energy onto your pinky category, then each one shifts. The pinky becomes the thumb. The ring finger becomes the pinky. So this hand print reminder is never-ending...and I like it that way.

I changed my background again...yet again...

I think this is why I could never get a tattoo. I get tired of things too quickly. Ha!

This isn't really a post. I just couldn't think of anything to say. :)

So if you just read this, you can carry on with your life now.



(Next time, I promise it will be something substantial.)

Part 2

The second part of our vacation: South Dakota

About every year my family and I visit our friends near Freeman, SD. This family recently stopped milking dairy cows...they had been in the dairy business for over 30 years. I have such great memories of their farm. I can still hear the sound of the milking machines and can remember the way the calves would suck at their bottles...and on your hand. The years have gone by and there aren't as many animals, but the memories remain.

Another tradition that happened without fail was the late night storytelling. Every year, as night falls, my dad and Larry swap stories, and they always talk about mountain lion sightings. They are so serious about it, too- that is part of the reason it's so chilling. I remember sitting on the dark lawn, with my back to the dark trees, and listening to them talk about how near the closest mountain lions have been reported, and how you never used to see them when they were kids. It is always scary, but also thrilling!

Here are some pictures of the farm animals I got to see:

There aren't as many barn cats now that there is no milking, but it is a farm so there are always some. :)

This mother duck was protecting her nest, even though she had apparently left her eggs to get cold about a week before. Silly duck.

The not-so-little piglets! Mmmm...I love bacon and sausage.

Mama pig was sooo lazy.

These are limousin cattle, and very cute ones at that!

I love roosters...don't know why, but I do.

Daisies are my all-time favorite flower, and they were blooming so nicely!

These teeny tiny grapes are part of the new orchard, planted a few years ago. The trees/plants are still small now, but they will be so good in the years to come. They have just about everything, too: grapes, blueberries, cherries, apples, peaches, rhubarb, strawberries, gooseberries, and more.

Silly goose.

Jake, the horse. He's lovely.

This is Jake, too! He is the grandson of our friends. He lives on another farm, and we had fun watching him "help" with the chores. He helped bring the calf bottles to the barn in his wagon, and even tested the milk to see if it was good. :)

I found this guy in Freeman- I don't see too many snakes around my house, so I just had to catch him!

Mr. Snakey and me...too bad he felt he needed to bite! 

That's it for now...we will be returning to South Dakota later this summer, only headed west to the Black Hills! That is another place packed with great memories, with many more to come!

Up North!

My family and I just took a vacation to Minnesota (and South Dakota, on the way home). I am posting pictures in two parts- first Minnesota, and then South Dakota.


We went to Minnesota for my uncle Wayne's birthday celebration...we did not know about this until a couple weeks ago when my aunt called us up and told us about his surprise party she had planned. It had been 8 years since we had been up there to see them, and we decided it was time to visit again. =] 


The party was fun, although most of the people there were from Diana's side of the family and I had no clue who they were...Uncle Wayne was surprised, so it was good! The party was Saturday, and on Sunday we went up to the North Shore, with Wayne and Diana leading.

Our super cute motel!

We went on a bike ride near the Moose Horn River. I kept looking for otters, but didn't see any!

The only bear I saw the whole trip.

At the actual Moose Lake- it is very pretty.

My shadow

Wayne and Diana's puppy, Lady! She is a cutie.

The only moose in Moose Lake!

Lake Superior. Pretty much like the ocean, but not salty.

Melo and I walked all the way out to this...it was sooo cold on out on the water!

The ship Roger Blough loading up with iron ore

One of the many seagulls, sitting on a white rock (ahem).

Such a pretty lighthouse. It is available for people to stay in- I would like to, but I would think about Scooby Doo and the haunted lighthouse and get scared...I know, I'm so cool.

Melo and I in front of the middle tier of Gooseberry Falls. These rocks were fun to climb around on. =]

Part 2 (South Dakota) will be next!